I am an ECOBROKER®... "With interest in energy efficiency and environmental issues growing all the time, EcoBroker makes sense to me on many levels. The training adds value for my clients, helps us make sense of many issues facing us today, and enables us to promote features for our clients that might otherwise go unnoticed or be misunderstood. I'm an outdoor enthusiast, and I moved to Colorado for quality of life. Choosing real estate as a profession was partially driven by the flexibility that would allow me to enjoy skiing, fly fishing, etc., but also by my sincere desire to help people find the homes of their dreams. The values of EcoBroker align with my own and give added meaning and purpose to my career by allowing me to have a positive impact on our environment and people's lives." EcoBroker is an education and designation program for real estate professionals who care about the environment and want to promote energy-efficient and "green" features in homes and buildings. The EcoBroker® logo is the symbol of environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the real estate industry. Certified EcoBrokers® help you and the planet get the most when buying or selling a home. As an EcoBroker®, I can help you find homes that are healthy, comfortable, and cost-effective.Save Money: EcoBrokers® know energy-efficiency and the monthly cost-savings you can realize with insulation, windows, appliances, and heating and cooling systems. Find Homes with "Green" Features Easily: With interest in energy-efficient, healthy, and safe home features, EcoBrokers® make it easy to either find homes with these attributes or to help you make improvements. Live Comfortably: EcoBrokers® help you improve your home environment by addressing indoor air quality, ventilation, use of low VOC paints, radon testing, and reliable water testing Anyone can price your home. It takes marketing to really sell it. Promoting green features sets you apart from the competition.Sell for More: EcoBrokers® understand the benefits of green features in your home and are able to effectively promote them, selling your home's value and increasing your sales price. Distinguish Your Home from the Competition: Many home owners do not promote the energy efficiency and environmental attributes of their homes, missing a large market. Attract More Buyers: Over 90% of buyers identify energy savings and home environment as key factors when deciding to buy a home. EcoBrokers In the News... According to a 2007 National Association of Home Builders survey, 63 percent of buyers are motivated by the lower operating and maintenance costs that come with energy- and resource-efficient homes (Environment News Service, March 2007), and to help them find these homes consumers are looking for green home-buying and selling strategy experts who have received premier, comprehensive, green real estate training methods and information. Enter EcoBroker International, the first and largest provider of green real estate training. “Now with more than 4,000 members in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, five Canadian provinces, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica and New Zealand, we have extraordinary presence and market penetration,” says John Beldock, CEO of EcoBroker International. “The consumer now counts on EcoBroker® as a household name, and together we are building consumer trust.” Each and every EcoBroker® has become the consumer’s resource for finding green properties and they are known nationwide as the “green real estate pros.” EcoBrokers® continue to make monumental inroads on an international level. Our professionals are positioned farther and further to better help the growing number of consumers who wish to buy new homes with green features or who want to present green retrofits to potential buyers in the sale of their existing homes. EcoBroker® trains its members on how to implement green market strategies into their real estate business. Additionally, EcoBroker professionals are highly educated on energy and environmental building and real estate practices, making them increasingly sought-after by green building contractors, green product and service providers, government agencies and city planners as professionals who can influence and inform the public about green building products and living ideas. Below are stories about EcoBrokers® who are making further inroads and resource connections in their communities and across the nation. The July/August issue of The Real Estate Professional magazine headlined EcoBroker® within its Special Feature pages. The article, “EcoBroker® Provides New Standard of Care for Real Estate Community,” was written by John Beldock, CEO of EcoBroker International. Beldock explains how these “green” real estate professionals have collectively built the bridge between the real estate industry and the green building industry. Beldock also writes about how becoming EcoBroker Certified® makes a proven positive difference in the business building practices of these green- minded professionals and in the comfort and affordability of their customers’ home-buying decisions. Finally, Beldock discusses overall curriculum requirements and how the EcoBroker program teaches real estate professionals how to properly address many of the energy and environmental issues facing them in transactions today. Read the entire “Special: Feature” from the July/August issue of The Real Estate Professional. Anne Ward, Certified EcoBroker® and associate broker with Santa Fe Land & Homes, was quoted in the July 16, 2008, Real Estate section of the Wall Street Journal. The article, “Santa Fe’s Buildings Get Greener,” highlights Santa Fe’s commitment to sustainable architecture, energy efficiency and conservation. A city ordinance requires all new buildings in Santa Fe to meet a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index before anyone is allowed to occupy the structure. Local Tucson Certified EcoBroker® Nicole Brule-Fischer was recently interviewed by Tucson Home Magazine’s “Green Issue.” The candid article, “Green Q&A,” appeared in the Green Etc. section of the Fall 2008 issue. The article discusses green realtors, green market concerns and misconceptions and new developments in the green housing market. Kirk Fox, an EcoBroker® Certified agent for Helios Green Realty in Chicago was quoted in the August 1, 2008, Chi Town Daily News article, “Garden Walk Celebrates the Art of Urban Gardening.” Fox, who took part in this year’s Chicago Garden Walk and Green Fair, was able to help consumers understand the many options for eco-friendly homes. Metro Texas Association of Realtors listed an EcoBroker® as “someone who can help home-buyers find affordable, comfortable housing as energy costs continue to soar out of control.” The article was posted on www.dfwfindahome.com and also talks about HERS ratings and energy-efficient mortgages. John Stovall, Vice President of Business Development of EcoBroker International, was quoted in the article, “McStain and EcoBroker® Team Up for Green Education.” The article, posted inside the Louisville Superior YourHub.com, announced an amazing “Green Learning Opportunity” between McStain, a Colorado-based homebuilder, and EcoBroker, the first and largest provider of green designation training for real estate professionals. Certified EcoBroker® Stephanie Edward Musa was featured in the July 7, 2008, greenrightnow.com article, “EcoBrokers Show Buyers The Green.” In the article, Musa says about half of her clients are driven by their desire to lessen their impact on the environment and half are interested in saving money through energy efficiency or living in a home with enhanced indoor air quality. Speaking of Stephanie Edward Musa...Musa was recently interviewed on Houston’s KTRX Channel 13 Eyewitness Action News report. Musa, a Certified EcoBroker ® agent was featured in the report, “Looking for a Green Home in Houston?” The report focused on real estate professionals who are educated about green features and the energy-and money-saving advantages of green homes. - Have you talked to the press and been quoted in an article? Let us know! We love hearing about and sharing all the great things our EcoBrokers® are doing. Please email Mark at mgashler@ecobroker.com if you would like to appear in next month’s EcoBrokers® in the News section. Talking Trash: Helping Your Clients with Household Hazardous Waste Disposal What is considered “hazardous” when a seller cleans out trash while readying a home for sale? What if a buyer moves into an existing home and finds old paint in the garage? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans generate approximately 1.6 million tons of hazardous waste each year. The National Marketing Institute, which documents growth of consumer trends, shows an increase since 2006 in the numbers of consumers who participated in household hazardous waste (HHW) disposal. Realtors have an opportunity to provide local information to buyers and sellers about proper disposal of these materials and products. Many buyers and sellers may not be aware of which common household items are considered harmful to living things and the environment. Even if clients know which materials and products are hazardous and they have separated those items from everyday trash, they may not know where to take them. Enter the Realtor. John Cafasso, a Certified EcoBroker®, works in the Colorado Springs area of Colorado’s El Paso County. Cafasso provides clients with a flyer listing hazardous household items that are accepted for disposal with the address of a site for homeowners in that area. Cafasso said his local board, the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, was receptive to his recommendation and even posted the flyer on their website’s homepage. “When you go to a listing appointment, provide the client with a flyer,” Cafasso suggests. “We also put the information in an HOA newsletter to reach even more people.” If an item contains volatile chemicals, it is on the EPA’s list of hazardous household waste. Regulation varies by state. The EPA encourages states to develop and run their own hazardous waste programs. Most states base their programs on federal requirements but some states are more stringent than others. The EPA groups all waste into categories then places items on lists based on the ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity and toxicity of each material. Most people suspect that gasoline, pesticides and herbicides make the list, but what about motor oil? Thermostats? Car batteries? Old prescriptions from the medicine cabinet? The EPA website Household Recycling pages provide lots of disposal information and relevant links. Go to www.epa.gov/Region4/recycle/householdrecycling.htm. A good, user-friendly place to start is earth911.org. At the top of their homepage is a banner to enter what type of trash homeowners/buyers have (or just type “household hazardous waste”), along with their ZIP code or City, State. Press GO and a list appears of all HHW disposal sites within 25 miles of that area. As John Cafasso puts it: “If we educate Realtors and homeowners about the household hazardous waste disposal facilities, it will be good for the environment.”